Door latch



, May 10, 1949; A. H. BOWLZER, JR 2,469,430

DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 50, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l INVENTOR.

I ALFRED H. BOWLZER, JR

' ATTORNEY May 10, 1949- A. H. BOWLZER, JR

DOOR LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 30, 1945 INVENTVOR. BOWLZER, JR.

ALFRED ATTORNEY Patented May 10, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE DOOR LATCH Alfred H. Bowlzer, Jr., Inglewood, Calif. Application October 30, 1945, Serial No. 625,475

6 Claims.

My invention relates in general to latches and in its embodiment disclosed herein is a door latch in which a latch member extends through a door to engage a keeper on the door frame on the side of the door opposite the operating handle.

Latches of this type are usually operated by pressure on a finger piece. A knob, connected to the latch by linkage and a spring, is sometimes substituted for the finger piece, to be pressed down or tilted like a finger piece, or to be pulled like a latch string, but such a device is apt to be confusing to a person unfamiliar with the latch mechanism, as a knob ordinarily is turned. It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to provide a door latch having a knob as its operating member, in which the latch is released from its keeper by turning in either direction, tilting in any direction, or pulling the knob.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a latch having a latch member and in cooperation therewith an operating member or key engaging the latch member in such a way that the latch member will be swung on its pivot, into a retracted position whenever the key is rotated, moved longitudinally, or moved laterally or angularly in any direction with respect to the latch member.

Other objects and advantages will appear from consideration of the following description of an embodiment of my invention and of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevation of the latch mounted in a door, the latter and the joint therefor being shown in section;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the latch;

Figure 3 is a sectional View of the latch in the latched position as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the knob turned and the latch lifted;

Figure 5 is a plan view; and

Figure 6 is an end view, the parts being shown in latching position.

Referring now to the details of the several drawings, IE and I I indicate, respectively, a door and door frame on which are mounted a latch assembly, indicated generally by I2 and a keeper l3. The latch assembly I2 has a carrying disc I having screw holes I5 to enable fastening to the door and having a collar IE to fit Within a recess in the door, the disc and collar forming together a housing member for the connecting parts hereinafter named. The collar I6 has journal holes I l in its lower portion for supporting a pivot pin l8, and the disc I4 has a central recess I9 for receiving and guiding a spring 20, and an orifice or passage 2| coaxial therewith extending through to the side opposite the collar. A latch piece 22 has a plate 23 of slightly more than semicircular area, with a central orifice 24 and dependent ears 26 and 27 which are bent at right angles to the plate 23 and pierced with holes 28 for receiving the pivot pin I8. A latch finger 29 extends outwardly from the plate 23 and as shown forms an extension of the ear 27, this extension being off-set to position the finger 29 between the ears 28 and 21. The edges of the orifice 24 are pressed in so that the orifice flares outwardly in the direction of the latch finger 29 and ears 26 and 21. Above the orifice 24 and radially therefrom the plate 23 is bent to form a cam ridge 30. It will be seen that the latch piece 22, with its component plate 23, ears 26 and 27, and latch finger 29 may be stamped and bent from a single blank of sheet metal and that the plate 23 may act as a lever to induce pivotal movement of the latch finger around the pin I8.

A shaft 35 has an enlarged and splined portion 32 and bears on one end a key 33 which may conveniently be made, as shown, by bending the end portion of the shaft into a loop or eye, the key head thus formed extending bilaterally of the key shaft and having rounded corners permitting it to rest closely against and partly Within the flared orifice 24. A knob 34 has an annular shoulder 36 proportioned to bear against the disc I4, being centered thereon by a concentric shoulder 31 on the outer face of the disc, and a central recess 38 proportioned to receive the shaft 3| and stake-d to engage the splined portion 32 when the shaft is pressed therein. To assemble the latch, the shaft 3| is placed in the orifice 24 with the key on the same side as the latch finger 29 and at right angles thereto. The spring 2|] is placed over the spline-d end of the shaft 3|, and the assembly of latch piece 22, shaft 3|, and spring 20 is placed within the collarIB and pressed into the recess l9 until the pivot pin I8 can be driven through the holes I! and 28. The splined end of the shaft 3I then extends outwardly through the disc I 4 and the knob 34 may be pressed upon it. As the pin I8, about which the latch piece 22 pivots, is below the area of the plate 23 against which the spring 20 presses, the action of the spring normally forces the upper part of the plate 23 away from the disc I4 and maintains the latch finger 29 in position to engage the keeper I3.

To operate the latch, the knob 34 may be rotated, or pressed sidewise in any direction, or pulled out. When the knob is rotated, in either direction, one end of the key 33 engages the cam 3 ridge 30* and presses the upper portion of the plate 23 toward the disc l4 against the resistance of the spring 20, thereby lifting the latch finger 29. Upon release of the knob, the spring will return the several parts to their initial position unless the knob has been adjusted to bring the key 33 to dead center with the cam ridge 30, a condition achieved when the key and ridge are exactly parallel and which holds the latch finger raised.

While the disengagement of the latch finger from the keeper is herein called lifting the latch, that being a term commonly understood, it will be appreciated that the latch in this invention operates by spring pressure and not by gravity and may be installed so as to be movable in any plane.

If the knob 34, instead of being rotated, is pressed or tilted sidewise in any direction so as to pivot on an adjacent point of the shoulder 35, the shaft M will be bodily swung and the key pulled against the plate 23, causing it to pivot and raise the latch finger 2.9. If, instead of being rotated or pressed sidewise, the knob 35 is sirnply pulled, the key 33 will engage the sides of the orifice 24 and again pivot the plate 23 on the pin 118. In both of these cases the latch finger 29 will be lifted by the tilting of the plate 2%, but in neither instance is a condition of dead center possible, and release of the knob will always result in the spring 26 returning all parts to their initial position.

Having now described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 wish it understood that I do notwish to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts herein shown, as changes of detail may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of my invention as best set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A latch having a supporting disc, a latch finger, a plate supporting said latch finger and pivotally supported adjacent one edge by said disc, said plate and said disc having aligned central orifices, a spring urging the other edge of said plate away from said disc, a shaft extending loosely through said orifices, a key on the shaft end which extends through said plate, a cam ridge on the face of said plate adjacent said key extending radially from said orifice of said plate toward said other edge, and a knob on the shaft end which extends through said disc, said key and said knob being normally in contact with said plate and said disc respectively.

2. A latch having a supporting disc, a latch finger, a plate supporting said latch finger and pivotally supported adjacent one edge by said disc, said plate and said disc having aligned central orifices, a spring urging the other edge of said plate away from said disc, a shaft extending loosely through said orifices, a key on the shaft end which extends through said plate, said key extending bilaterally from said shaft and having rounded shoulders adjacent said plate, a cam ridge on the face of said plate adjacent said key extending radially from said orifice of said plate toward said other edge, and a knob on the shaft end which extends through said disc, said key and said knob being normally in contact with said plate and said disc respectively.

3. A latch having a supporting disc, a latch finger, a plate supporting said latch finger and pivotally supported adjacent one edge bysaid disc, said plate and said disc having aligned central orifices, a spring urging the other edge of said plate away from said disc,'a shaft extending loosely through said orifices, a key on the shaft end which extends through said plate, said key extending bilaterally from said shaft and having rounded shoulders adjacent said plate, said orifice of said plate being fiaredoutwardly and said key resting partly within said outwardly fiared portion, a cam ridge on the face of said plate adjacent said key extending radially from said orifice of said plate toward said other edge, and a knob on the shaft end which extends through said disc, said key and said knob being normally in contact with said plate and said disc respectively.

4. In a door latch, a supporting disc having a central recess on one side thereof and a passage coaxial therewith to the other side of said disc, a pivot pin carried by said disc transversely of said recess and below the center thereof, a plate pivotally and eccentrically supported by said pin within said recess, said plate having an orifice in alignment with said passage, a cam ridge on the face of said plate away from said disc extending radially from said orifice toward that edge of said plate farthest from said pivot pin, a latch finger carried by said plate, a shaft extending through said passage and through said orifice and proportioned to have lateral movement therein, a knob carried by the shaft end which extends through said passage, a key carried by the other end of said shaft, and adapted to cooperate with said cam ridge to cause pivotal movement of said plate toward said disc, and a spring urging said plate against said key whereby said knob is held resiliently against said disc.

5. In a door latch, a supporting disc, a latch finger pivotally supported by said disc, a cam plate carried by said latch finger, spring means acting on said cam plate to urge pivotal motion of said latch finger in one direction, a knob, and means connecting said knob and said cam plate and coacting with said spring means for holding said knob resiliently in contact with said disc and said cam plate in contact with said spring means. said connecting means including a key rotatable by said knob and adapted to coact with said cam plate to cause pivotal motion of said latch finger in the other direction.

6. In a door latch, a housing member, a latch piece having an orifice and a cam surface above said orifice and pivotally mounted upon said housing member below said orifice, a key extending through said orifice adapted to engage the sides thereof when pulled or tilted and to engage said cam surface when turned, a spring urging said latch piece into contact with said key and into latching position, and a knob operatively connected with said key for selectively pulling, turning, or tilting the same whereby said latch piece is pivotally moved against the resistance of said spring to a releasing position.

ALFRED H. BOVVLZERfJR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fiie of this patent:

UFJTED STAT '5 PATENTS liumber Name Date 1,662,119 Lewis Mar. 13, 1928 1,700,299 V folters Jan. 29, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS l iuxnber Country Date 184,257 Great Britain Aug. 8, 1922 

